Extra Incentives for 2009

1st Out of the Money - The first angler out of the money (not counting options) at each tournament will not have to pay their basic entry at the next tournament. Only at the next tournament.  If they skip it they lose their free entry.  

$500 in Gift Certificates from River MArine for 1st Place Finishers  - Courtesy of River Marine in 2009 every first place finisher will receive a gift certificate they can spend at River marine jus tlike cash.  $25 for the pro and $15 for am 1st place finisher at each tournament.  

A New Set of Free Rods - For our tournament give-a-ways.  We recently received an order of Acadia sports fishing rods in assorted lengths, actions, and styles. We will give one away after the weigh in at every tournament.  If you aren't there when we draw for the free rod we will draw somebody else. We also have a few extras for special promotions that will happen through out the year.   

Bring a Buddy  - Any current member who has fished atleast one previous tournament who brings a new member to fish with us will receive a $5 discount off their basic entry upto 5 discounts per tournament if they and the new member both are able to fish that tournament. Bring five new buddies every tournament and you could fish for free all season.  (This only applies to bringing a new member into the club.)  You must notify the tournament director of exactly who you brought to join and fish with us.  The tournament director will not guess or assume.  

NO CASH SPONSOR FOR ANGLER OF THE YEAR - There may be a small cash prize for the anglers of the year, but at this time it will be dependent on the club treasury.  No company has stepped up to provide a cash payout for 2009 anglers of the year.  

All anglers must abide by boating and fishing regulations and opearte in a safe and courteous manner.  Any angler cited for a violation during a tournament will cause that team to be disqualified.  Any team may be protested by any other team or another boater on the water and a protest will be decided by a group of three members not involved in the protest.  Fish by the rules and don't cheat. Boaters. Use your running lights from launch until sunrise or you could be protested by another boater.  

Qualified Boats - A qualified boat will:

1. Have an operational lanyard type kill switch which must be attached to the operator of the boat at anytime the boat exceeds no wake speeds.  
2. Have all required safety equipment including but not limited too flotation devices, lights, and fire extinguishers.
3. Have a front and rear casting deck or elevated casting area.
4. Have a rear fishing seat suitable for bass fishing on the rear deck for the use of the amateur while fishing.
5. Be stable while fishing standing up and fishing and landing fish.  Boats shorter than 15 feet and/or narrower than 50 inches must be approved by the tournament director.  
6. Be equipped with a functioning livewell with aerating and/or recirculating device(s) sutiable to keeping a minimum of a five fish bag alive and healthy for a full day of tournament fishing. A livewell need not be factory installed, but if home made it must be approved by the tournament director and standards will be very high.  If you bring in fish that are not alive you may be required to explain why it happened and/or show that repairs to prevent it from happening again have been done before you will be allowed to use your boat again in a Yuma Pro Am tournament..
7. Other rules may be added at anytime, and these rules may be changed at anytime.

Tournament Rules
In addition to operation and fishing according to regulations the following rules apply.  

1. ALCOHOL - No consumable alcohol is allowed on board any tournament boat, and consumption of alcohol is not allowed at anytime during the tournament.  Your tournament is not over until you have weighed your fish and the weight has been recorded.
2. DRUGS - No substances are allowed which would impair your safe operation of a watercraft or fish a full tournament whether fishing as a Pro (boater) or Am (non-boater).  This includes both legal and illegal substances.  
3. The team will fish for a combined bag of legal size.  This will typically be (5) five fish. Bag may be changed at tournament launch time.  
4. Whenever the team exceeds the bag limit they must both stop fishing until they are back to a tournament bag limit.
5. Unless an angler is fishing solo neither angler may fish while the other angler is not in the boat. An exception will be allowed if one angler must leave during the tournament for other committments, but they will not be allowed to get back in the boat and resume fishing later. They need to notify the tournament director prior to the start of the tournament for that day. If an angler must leave the area for any reason they may not get back in the boat to resume fishing.  
6. A boat can not be removed from the area by trailer and then get back in the water and resume fishing.  It can be trailered for repairs at the host marina and then placed back in the water.  
7. You can not troll.  Troling is defined as using the gas motor or using an electric motor in a manner which would be considered trolling. Such as using the boat as the sole means of propelling a bait through the water.  Drifting and dragging at the lowest speeds or when propelled by wind or current will be allowed.  
8. You can not get out of the boat to better your position.  You can push it back off a sandbar or get out to cool off in the water if you are overheated.  
9. Only artificial baits will be allowed except that pork trailers and commercially formulated fish scents will be allowed.  
10. Every reasonable effort must be made to keep fish alive.  There will be a two tenths of a pound weight penalty for each fish weighed in dead.  
11. You may not cull dead fish.  It is suggested that a dead fish be placed in a plastic bag on ice in your ice chest so that it can taken home to be eaten or be given to another angler and the meat won't be wasted or go soft from being in a warm livewell all day long day.    
12. A fish brought to the scales which does not meet the legal or tournament bag requirements will not be weighed and the team will suffer a one pound penalty.  If you catch an exceptional non target species you may request the weigh master to weigh it for you after all torunament bags have been weighed in.  
13. The target species for this tournament series includes, largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass, and hybrids there of.  No other species are to be brought to the scales during formal weigh in.  
14. A minimum of 30 yards must be maintained between your boat and any other angler whether they are fishing our tournament or not.  If you must encroach to pass you must ask permission of the other angler and they can deny it. See the next item for clarification. They may not position their boat to block or prohibit access to a body of water large enough for multiple anglers.  
15. No angler or team may block access to a channel or back water except that if they are actively fishing a lake mouth or channel opening specifically the angler or team wishing to pass must allow the angler that is fishing the location a minimum of 3 minutes to fish that location before insisting they allow them to pass.  
16. All anglers must wear a USCG approved life jacket at anytime the boat is at faster than displacement speeds..
17. The pro must have attached a safety lanyard which will operate a functiong kill switch at anytime the boat is exceeding no wake speeds.
18. Emergency operation of the boat may exempt the team from the preceeding two rules in the event of an unforeseen and unforseeable emergency where immediate operation of the boat may prevent an accident.
19. Each angler may use only one tournament legal fishing rod at a time.  There is no limit ot the number of rods allowed in the boat.
20. All entry fees must be paid prior to fishing.
21. If you are unable to fish because of boat troubles you may request your entry back prior being called out.  If you have begun the tournament you will not be refunded your entry fee.  
22. Sign up is Monday thru Saturday evening at the time of the draw for team partners at 6:15PM the week before each tournament.  Late entries will not be accepted. You may sign up in person or call to sign up, but neither you nor your partner will be allowed to fish in the tournament until all fees are paid.  An exception may be made at the tournament director's discretion in the event of unforeseen troubles and you may be allowed to fish starting late if you have gotten prior permission from the tournament director. You must still have been in the draw in order to fish the tournament.  
23. Available partners will be on a 1st come 1st serve basis in the even that there are more amateurs than pros signed up.  Those who sign up and pay their fees first will get to draw for partners first.  
24. While we believe that anybody who has a suitable boat should fish in the pro class we understand that some people may still wish to fish in the amateur class.  For those who do own a boat we will allow them to sign up as "amateur with a boat."  this will allow them to take their boat if their aren't enough people fishing the pro class that day.  They will still accumulate amateur points, but they will compete for that day's tournament as a pro,
25. There are 12 points tournaments throughout the year.  A pro's top 11 tournaments will be added up for total points, and an amateurs top 10 tournaments will be added up for total points in the amateur group.  
26. If an amateur buys a suitable boat they may switch from fishing as an amateur to fishing as a pro.  They may only do this before the 7th tournament of the year.  They may still sign up as an amateur with a boat so they will be open to bring their boat if their aren't enough pros for the amateurs who want to fish.
27. If there are not as many amateurs as pros a pro may opt to fish by themselves for that tournament and compete for the pro portion of the awards.
28. A pro who's boat is in the shop can opt to use that tournament as their one throw out or they can opt to fish a single tournament in the season as an amateur. They will compete for that single tournament for amateur awards, but will acucmulate pro points.  However, they will draw last after all regular amateurs present at the draw have drawn.  If there are not enough boats they will have to sit this one out or hurry to get their boat fixed.   
29. Any protest of another team or angler must be made in writing before the end of weigh in. It must have your name, the team or angler being protested, the reason you are protesting, the date, and your signature.  
30. LATE FOR WEIGH IN.  1/2 pound deduction per minute.  Disqualified if more than 10 minutes late.  On time means you atleast are in the host marina, rods down, & motoring towards the weigh dock before the official weigh time.  (I know other tournaments are 1 pound deduction per minute late, but this is supposed to be a fun tournament.)
31. Other rules may be added at anytime, and these rules may be changed at anytime by the tournament director.
32. The tournament director wiill be last out and (hopefully) 1st in.  As a result if there are more Pros than Ams the tournament director will fish solo.  

Membership

1. Membership dues must be paid prior to fishing the first tournament of any season.  The dues are paid for that tournament season regardless of when during the season a member pays their dues.  
2. An angler who has been caught cheating in a tournament may not be a member of this organization.
3. A member of the organization must be a minimum of 18 years of.  An exception may be made for anglers 16 years if they are experienced anglers.  Ask the tournament director first.  Any pro may without giving reason refuse to fish with an underage angler.  Both the angler and a parent must sign the waiver and release.
4. A member must complete and sign a membership form.  An electronic or facsimile form will not be accepted.

What is a Pro?
A pro is a member of Yuma Pro Am who owns a boat suitable for tournament fishing.

What is an Amateur?
An amateur is a member of Yuma Pro Am who does not own a boat suitable for tournament fishing.  An amateur may also sign up as amateur with a boat.  They will fish for amateur points, but if there are more amateurs than pros sign up for a tournament they will be required to fish as a pro for that tournament.  

Pairing Up For a Tournament
During the week immediately before the tournament all prospective pro(boater) and amateur(non-boaters) should come to the place of the tournament draw and sign up. You can call and ask to be signed up, but you will be drawn last for positions and partners.  If there aren't enough pros/boats the last amateurs to sign up and pay their fees will have to sit out unless they have signed up as an amateur with boat.  This is a reminder.  Any amateur may sign up as an amateur with boat, but if they do they will be required to use their boat if there aren't enough pros for all the amateurs who want to fish.  The draw will be Sportsmen's Hide-A-Way on Saturday at 6:15PM the day before the tournament. 

If you call and ask to be signed up and are a no show you will not be allowed the courtesy of calling in your entry in the future.  

You must be in the draw to fish.  You don't have to be present at the draw, but its a good idea if you are.    

Points Competition
Points will be awarded or subtracted as follows.

1. 100 points each for the team anglers who win a tournament.
2. 100 points less one point for each place after first for all other teams that weigh in legal fish.
3. 1 bonus point for big fish of the tournament.
4. Participation points are 5 points for each tournament from January through june and 10 points for each tournament July thru Decemebr.  
5. There will be a 1 point bonus each time a limit is brought to the scales.  

Pro Angler of the year will be determined by the total of your best 11 tournament finishes of the year.

Amateur Angler of the year will be determined by the total of your best 10 tournament finishes of the year.

Payouts

1. Tournament payouts will be based on the number of entries in your category.  Pro or Amateur.
   • 1 Place will be paid for every five entries.  
   • If there are uneven numbers of pros and amateurs the number places will be determined by the number of entries in that category.
2. An angler fishing alone will only win the pot for the category they are fishing.  That place for the other category will go to the person fishing the other category in the next place down team.  
3. Big fish will pay one place for upto ten entries and two places if there are ten or more entries. If big fish is weighed in by a person fishing alone they will get the big fish pot only for the category they are fishing in.  It is possible for their to be two places paid for one category and only on place paid for the other.  
4. For the purposes of tournament payouts a person fishing as a pro using their own boat or as an amateur with boat who has had to use their own boat because of a difference in the number of entries will be both classed as a pro.  Their points will continue to accumulate in the category they are signed up.  
5. The 8 pound pot will accumulate until a fish over 8 pounds is brought to the weigh in.  If there is more than one the largest fish over 8 pounds wins.  In the event that only one member of the team has signed up for the 8 pound pot then only half the prize will go to that team member who was in the option (regardless of which team member caught it) and the remainder will be rolled over until the next time somebody brings in an 8+.  Yep.  that means if you aren't in the option and your partner is and you catch an 8+ your partner will be very thankful, but you will not be awarded any cash prize for that fish.  (unless its the big fish and you were in that option)

THESE RULES ARE A WORK IN PROGRESS, AND I AM OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS FOR THE FOLLOWING SEASON.

This posting has been updated to reflect changes made in 2006 and 2007.  No changes were made from 2008 to 2009 in the rules.  This listing has been updated to reflect previous changes.  Bob La Londe 3/15/2009.